Commissioners convened again Wednesday night to discuss ways to bring the county's $80.1 million proposed budget to a mark both they, and citizens, can be comfortable with.
At the meeting, commissioners decided to cut a portion of the 13 new county positions, both part- and full-time, proposed in County Manager Macon Sammons budget.
The board's current goal is to trim enough from the overall property tax rate to keep residents' payments equal to that of 2007-08. To do this, commissioners must lower the county's tax rate to 58 cents per $100, down four cents from the county manager's proposed 62 cent per $100 rate and down five cents from last year's rate, or a total of $1.9 million, to $78.2 million.
While commissioners are looking to decrease the overall budget number, they can also choose to pump in more of the county's fund balance to achieve the goal, or a combination of the two. Sammons recommended $5.9 million of fund balance for the upcoming fiscal year, down from $7 million in the current year. Much of the $2 million difference is from the construction of the new Dental and Health Clinic and one-stop permitting building which opened in April, and the cost the county incurred in its dealings with the Terrell family and the county's land acquisition near the county landfill.
After discussing possible cuts to the current budget Monday, including the removal of a 3-percent employee cost-of-living allowance, the board reviewed each of the department requests, looking for items which could be lowered or removed.
Commissioner Chairman Craig Hunter said the expanded county positions and raised salaries are points he is hearing the public say they do not want.
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